


Old Friends

by Utuinen



Category: The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alina and Darkling have known each other since childhood, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Spoilers, if it's not clear, just a bit bitter one, not dark Alina, not exactly friendship not exactly romantic and not exactly hate either, set shortly after the creation of the Shadow Fold, their relationship is a bit of a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 16:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15777501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Utuinen/pseuds/Utuinen
Summary: It was a time to pay an old friend a visit.Alina hears about the doings of her old childhood friend and decides it's time for another friendly chat.





	Old Friends

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to play around with the idea of Alina and the Darkling being roughly the same age. They still have their mental connection, it's probably somehow because their powers merged as they trained as kids or something.

The people didn’t see her standing right alongside them, glistening in the sunlight wrapped around her, listening in on their conversations like she had done for so, so many years already.

 

”Did you hear? Did you hear about the Darkling?”

 

Of course she had heard. That was all anyone was talking about these days.

 

”He’s dead, right?”

 

Of course he isn’t. He never was, he was just very good at making it _seem_ like he had died. The first few times she had at least felt something when she heard the news, but now she didn’t feel anything. Or actually no, that was a lie -- she felt irritated. She wasn’t sure what she hated more, the man himself or that she still wanted to believe in him after everything.

 

”He is, but he... he created... that _thing_!”

 

”I heard someone calling it the Shadow Fold. I still can’t believe the Darkling did that... Isn’t he supposed to be loyal to the crown?”

 

She hated that she, too, would have never believed he had really done it if she hadn’t seen it herself. The vast _nothingness_ were there once was the rest of the Vy.

 

”Are they really going to allow his son to become the next Darkling? To lead the Second Army?”

 

”Apparently, and I heard he’s already at the Little Palace!”

 

It was a time to pay an old friend a visit.

 

* * *

 

”What is it?” Aleksander asked before even lifting his eyes from his papers. He just knew Alina was there.

 

”So you’re a _new_ Darkling now, then,” her voice was calm but had an accusatory sound to it. She walked over from where she had appeared next to the wall and leaned closer to read over his shoulder.

 

”What’s this? Studying Morozova again?” Alina lifted her brows. ”Didn’t quite go like you planned, huh?”

 

”Are you here to mock me, Alina?” Aleksander asked, maintaining the same conversational tone. They weren’t exactly in friendly terms, but they didn’t usually yell at each other, though it was not completely unheard of.

 

”Knowing that I need nothing more right now than your help?”

 

That was, of course, not entirely true. Even if he couldn’t find another Sun Summoner, he was going to find a way around the Volcra. He just needed time, and luckily or not, that was the one resource he wasn’t going to run out of.

 

Alina let out a bitter laugh.

 

”You _do_ need my help, but the last time I checked, you didn’t want it”, she said and backed away a little.

 

”What you’re doing is not good for you. And it’s not good for Ravka, either”, she continued.

 

”Ravka! What good has Ravka done for me, for our kind? The only reason the Grisha are any more respected in Ravka than anywhere else is because of my work,” Aleksander narrowed his eyes.

 

”Not necessarily respected. We’re still feared, and now more than ever. The Fold is causing panic, and nothing else,” Alina said.

 

”Maybe fear isn’t that bad. It can help us to control our enemies, to keep our allies safe,” Aleksander pleaded, and he knew that the look in Alina’s eyes was more than just resenting.

 

She knew what the kind of power needed to make the Fold felt like. She _understood_ him just like he understood her better than anyone else ever could, that Aleksander was sure of.

 

”Join me, Alina. Together no one can stop us. We’d be invincible, and everything would be like the old times again,” he said, his piercing eyes fixed on hers.

 

”How many?” Alina asked suddenly, voice soft and distant.

 

”How many _what_?” Aleksander asked back, annoyed that she had evaded his proposition again, like she always did. She never gave him an answer, never agreeing to work with him but also never clearly turning him down.

 

”How many did you kill creating the Fold? How many will still die because of it, because of you?”

 

Aleksander let out a deep breath. Out of all the things _that’s_ what was on her mind?

 

”They were otkazat’sya,” he said.

 

”Because that’s all you ever care about,” Alina said, shaking her head, condemning him. ”And I guess you think no Grisha will ever get caught in that death trap you made? Who do you think will be the ones responsible for traveling through it?”

 

”Face it. You can’t control it. You’ve doomed Ravka, and every single one of its citizens, otkazat’sya and Grisha alike. I’m probably the only one who could walk through it without fear,” Alina shook her head again.

 

”Then work with me. Help me control it. With your powers we don’t need to worry about the Volcra,” Aleksander said and stood up, taking Alina’s hand in his. She didn’t pull it back.

 

”I am strong, but I don’t think even I can destroy what you’ve created. If I could, I’d have done it already,” Alina sighed.

 

Her first stop had been at the Fold. It was nearly impossible to summon the light in there, and though she had been able to do that, she was not confident she could summon _enough_. She could light up only about half of the Fold, and the inky blackness had just poured right back in when she had left.

 

”What about with a strong amplifier?” Aleksander asked.

 

He should have been relieved that Alina’s power didn’t win over his yet, but he was also a bit... sad? When he and Alina had first met, he was still a boy whose name changed every few days, forever on the run, and she had hid her power so perfectly for so long that _she_ barely knew it was there, but she had learned quickly. It had always been just a matter of time when Alina would be his equal, even though he had had a head start.

 

However, for the past few decades he had been quite sure that the only thing holding her back was Alina herself. Did she really hate him so much, that she would go to such lengths to make sure they were not the same?

 

Alina laughed again, voice hard and joyless.

 

”And whose bones do you suppose will be strong enough? Are you offering me yours, Aleksander?” she intertwined their fingers and smiled, a smile that didn’t hide how much she wanted to slap him, and maybe worse. Likely worse.

 

She would _never_ take his bones, but whether it was out of love or hate, neither of them really knew.

 

”Morozova’s,” Aleksander looked straight at her again, ignoring that smile.

 

”Ilya Morozova’s? Sad to disappoint you, but I’m pretty sure he’s dead. And probably not even an amplifier,” Alina said, feigning amusement.

 

”He probably wasn’t. But he created amplifiers,” Aleksander said seriously.

 

” _Created_?” Alina squinted her eyes.

 

”You’re not talking about... Did he use _merzost_?” she let go of his hand and paced a few steps.

 

”Possibly. What if I can get you one of his amplifiers?” Aleksander pressed on.

 

”I don’t want it. Not only because I don’t want anything from you, but also because it’s something that shouldn’t exist. The Fold... You’re-- you’re not going to use merzost, are you?” Alina looked at him, her eyes worried. For him or for her precious country, that was unsure.

 

Aleksander didn’t answer and so they just stared each other down.

 

”Don’t. If you ever cared about our friendship, don’t do it,” Alina said, shaking her head once again.

 

”You’ve become blinded by your power. You’re destroying the world, Aleksander. If you continue, there will be nothing worth protecting left. No life, no Grisha,” she was now open about her condemn.

 

”So stop me before I do,” Aleksander said quietly, the air around him dark and poisonous like himself.

 

Alina knew she had been right about being wrong, still believing in him. There was no longer anything salvageable in the man standing in front of her. She had tried before, and never reached him. Maybe now was the time to stop giving him more chances than he deserved.

 

”Are you going to make me kill you?” Alina asked.

 

”Are you strong enough to kill me?” was the only answer she got.

 

”I guess we’ll find out,” Alina said, voice level but too many thoughts rushing through her head.

 

”I think it’s time for you to go. I’ll let you know if I find an amplifier for you,” Aleksander said.

 

”I hope you wont.”

 

First Alina was there, and then she was gone. Aleksander let out another deep breath and sat down on his chair.

 

Who was Alina to criticize him? What had _she_ ever done to help their people? He was right, he knew it. With their powers combined, they could achieve anything. Peace for the Grisha was within his grasp, and all that stood between it and him was a little too soft Sun Summoner.

 

No. Alina wouldn’t stop him from anything. He would find a way around the Volcra, and then he’d _make_ all his enemies to bow down to him.

 

And if it turned out Alina was stronger than him, then she would have to harden herself to kill him. And then _she_ could rule, all the same.

 

To him, it was all really just about the time.


End file.
